Parwanoo-Solan section among 95 NH stretches with major deficiencies
The Tribune Special: Officials stated that action has been taken against defaulting agencies in accordance with the provisions of the contract agreements in cases of deficiencies or damages
Major deficiencies have been reported in 95 national highway (NH) project stretches across India since 2014, including the collapse of a road stretch on the Parwanoo–Solan section of NH-5 in Himachal Pradesh, structural issues at the Hero Honda Chowk flyover and underpass on NH-48 and defects in Package-2 of the Delhi–Vadodara Expressway in Haryana.
Officials stated that action has been taken against defaulting agencies in accordance with the provisions of the contract agreements in cases of deficiencies or damages. These actions include termination of contracts, imposition of penalties, blacklisting or declaring contractors as non-performers.
According to official data, out of 16,542 black spots identified on national highways across the country, short-term rectification has been completed at 14,138 locations and long-term rectification has been completed at 6,649 spots.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has identified 1,407 black spots in Punjab. Of these, long-term rectification has been completed at 463 locations. In Haryana, 58 out of 124 identified black spots have been rectified. In Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, 62 out of 224 identified black spots have been addressed so far.
In Himachal Pradesh, a stretch of road on the Parwanoo–Solan section of NH-22 collapsed in 2022. Restoration work on the affected portion has been completed by the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.
In Haryana, major deficiencies were reported in five projects following which the government initiated rectification work and took strict action against the contractors. Officials noted that parts of the deck slab had fallen from the flyover and underpass at Hero Honda Chowk on NH-48 in 2024. An arbitration notice was issued to the contractor for recovery of damages, while repair and rectification works have since been initiated.
In another case, after crushing of concrete was reported in some segments of the Dwarka Expressway Package-III in 2021, the government imposed a penalty of Rs 6.67 crore on the contractor and Rs 20 lakh on the engineer. Both were blacklisted for three months. Restoration work on the affected section has since been completed.
Similarly, rutting developed in 2024 on Packages 2 and 3 of the Delhi-Vadodara Expressway. The government imposed penalties on the contractor for delayed maintenance. Rectification work was undertaken and the majority of the rutted portions have now been repaired.
